Foreign trespassers.
A generation before The Spanish Armada (1588) it
was the habitual practice of foreign fishermen to
trespass in our waters. Five hundred Dutch boats
fished in the North Sea off our shores together
with a hundred French poaching craft.
Three hundred Spanish boats bore away the fish from
Irish waters, and the South Coast of Cornwall was
beset by Frenchmen who carried off hake, pilchards
and pollack.
In The Record Office, July 17, 1591, is
Elizabeth's Mandate "That no more Fumadoes
(Cornish for fair maids) be prepared so that the
Queen's ennemeys might not be supplied with
provisions, and be able to remain on the
coast." At that date Pilchards yielded
£16.0,0. per ton in the Straits to the
merchants.
Jour. Roy. Inst. Vol 13. page 14.
1629. Calendar State Papers. Charles I.
Petition of Sir William Irving to the King on
September 27 last in the parish of St. Keverne near
Falmouth.
A French Man of War was cast away and forsaken by
her crew. Four men at the hazard of their lives
took possession of her in the King's name but
were expelled by a company of disordered people,
who spoiled the ship and embezzled her ordnance and
appurtenances, and so petition to Sir John
Killigrew and Hichard Erisey to seize all articles
which belonged to her. The King granted the
petitioner, his humble servant.
Whitehall 1627. Feb. 10.
1636. Parochial History of Cornwall. Thurston
Peter.
July. The Justices of Cornwall reported to
the King a complaint from East and West Looe that
about two months since three barks of their town
while fishing on the coast had been taken by the
Turks (i.e. Algerine pirates) and twenty seven
persons were taken into captivity, The seamen could
not follow their pursuit, and sixty vessels and 200
seamen were without employment. They add, that
these Turks show themselves daily at St. Keverne,
Mount's Bay and other places,
A letter of 30 Dec. 1657 from Ed. Fortescue and
another to the King suggests that local smugglers
were in league with the pirates.
Cal. State Papers. Domestic. Charles I.
June 20th 1656. His Majesty's Fort. Nr.
Plymouth.
Examination of Richard Plummer, Master of barge of
Plymouth called the Mercury.
On Wednesday night last he sailed in said barge out
of Plymouth with 5 others to St. Keverne, Cornwall,
and arrived there on Thursday morning where he
heard it credibily reported with sorrowful
complaint and lamentable tears of women and
children that on the 15th inst. 5 fisher boats
belonging to St. Keverne and 5 others from Helston,
1 more from Mollans and about 50 men in them being
on coast fishing near Blackhead between Falmouth
and Lizard, not 5 leagues from shore were taken by
The Turks who carried both men and boats away.
During time aboard at St. Keverne from Thursday to
Sabbath day following no news heard of men or
boats, so goes for absolute truth thereabouts they
were surprised by Turks and carried away.
Gen. Sessions. Place. Bodmin.
Turks daily show themselves at St. Keverne,
Mount's Bay. Poor fishermen are fearful not
only to go to sea but likewise lest these Turks
should come on shore and take them out of their
houses.
|
